Since 1959, students across the U.S. have been taking the PSAT (Preliminary SAT). On Oct. 13, 2021, CHS sophomores and juniors flooded into the building to take the test.

The PSAT is a practice test for the SAT, an exam used by many colleges and universities to decide administration decisions. According to the Princeton Review, the PSAT’s maximum score is 1520 and the exam is split into two parts: evidence-based reading and writing, and math.

“I’m most nervous for the math part,” said Nadia Matish, a CHS junior, before the test. “I’m pretty good at reading and writing… I got good scores for them on my other [exams].”

Matish has taken the PSAT two previous times, though she felt more nervous for the 2021 PSAT.

“This is like the real PSAT before the SAT,” Matish said.

But Ailish Kilbride, a CHS sophomore, still has another year of preparation for the SAT.

“[For this exam] I worked through a book of problems,” Kilbride said. “[I want] to work with a tutor to help me understand the groundwork and the foundation of [the SAT]. I think once I understand how to take the test, I’ll be able to do better.”

But should we still have the PSAT and SAT? Over the years there’s been a growing movement to get rid of standardized tests or to change them. As they’re currently designed, some standardized tests—like the SAT—measure test taking ability rather than knowledge alone.

“I think we should do away with standardized testing,” Kilbride said. “There’s a lot of kids that have a 4.0 GPA, a ton of extracurriculars, but they’re terrible test takers. Then you have kids who are great test takers, but aren’t as great students. [Colleges are] going to take the kid who’s a great test taker.”

Another student, Tate Zeleznik, also thinks the PSAT and SAT should be changed.

“[The exams] sort of just measure your ability to take a timed test,” Zeleznik said. “It’s not really demonstrating how good of a student you are.”

After the PSAT on Oct. 13, students are preparing for the SAT, which will be taken on June 4 for 2022.